PRELUDE TO CONFUSION

US Army unit designation conventions began in  the Civil War and by World War I had pretty well been established.   Armies were/are numbered and the number is spelled out such as "Third Army."  Divisional numbers were/are simply the Arabic number such as 3d Armored.   We are not sure just how or when but it was in the early days of the massive build up for WWII that Army "conventions" sometimes went by the wayside as the huge influx of citizens soldiers started.

Hence,  soldiers of the 3d Armored started pinning their name with "THIRD ARMORED" instead of using the Army's naming convention.  All manner of publications and correspondence started doing the same thing and by the time the Division landed in Europe it was known as "Third Armored"...an ominous signal of history to be misplaced.

OUR "STOLEN"  HISTORY

General George S. Patton, Jr.  commanded  the "THIRD ARMY" and General Omar Bradley commanded   "FIRST ARMY" which included the "3d Armored Division"  led   General Rose.

The glory and fame of the famous Third Army under Patton is not in question here...especially since many of the 3d Armored Division soldiers remain convinced to this day that folks in that Army made good use of 3d Armored actions and battle deeds to boast the Third Army story.  We today are not privy to many of those stories or claims but wish to some day resolve this issue.  Many of the WWII Spearheaders still cannot bear to hear, much less say, Patton's name.

When the names THIRD ARMORED and THIRD ARMY are written side by side it is easy to see the confusion caused and just not in the heat of battle and thus the  Army "convention."    Verbally, there is almost no difference.

Personal experience over the last two years of working on this website and getting the new Association started has verified both the confusion and the hurt.  We will work hard to rectify the mistakes over the years...it is time...and the hard part to accept is that the veterans themselves may have started the confusion themselves...